Learn Tabla Online

Learn Tabla Online is a unique platform where you can learn tabla online by an one-on-one session with our tabla tutor. Presentely, We are arranging sessions in 12+ countries worldwide. Join our Tabla Learning Program and learn Tabla at the comfort of your home.

TABLA SYLLABUS

Everything you need to know about Learn Tabla Online:

Before starting you journey you need to know about a few points. Students usually have many questions like - How to start? Where to start? What resources are available? What is the process? How long it take to learn tabla? and so on. Let me help you with this!

When You decide to Learn Tabla Online (yourself) and try watching random videos available on YouTube, to gain some knowledge – but It doesn't work practically. Do you know why? Because Tabla is a practical form of art we need a live tabla tutor or mentor for this. As a Video can't suggest to you whether you are doing right or wrong. In addition, Tabla needs time and patience that we never had. It needs 2-4 years to become a good tabla player with the help of different practices.

Nowadays, When no one has much time to travel and learn because of their hectic work schedule, Everyone prefers to learn Tabla online at home & yes, It is a good option to start with. But before you start your journey you should know some of the basic knowledge about the instrument and its training. For this, Just follow these steps:

BOOK YOUR FREE DEMO SESSION - CLICK HERE

Step 1: Basics of Tabla

With this, we mean all that basic information that we need to know before we start. Let me explain this to you in a few points.

Anyone can learn Tabla.
You need to learn from a Guru or Mentor for at least 2-4 years for a good outcome.
Students need to spare 45-60 Mins daily (or at least 5 days a week) for practice then you are ready to go.
We have six gharanas or styles of tabla, You have to choose which one you like.
You need a good Tabla set before you start. (Good tabla doesn't mean Amazon or Flipkart tablas, Here is an article on Tabla Maintainance (Click Here). I have added few best tabla makers at the bottom of the page. You can buy from them. For me U. Qasim Khan Niyazi is my personal favorite.)

Step 2: Learn the basic strokes.

Now, when you are ready with Step 1, We are ready to Jump to Step 2. Learning basic strokes is easy. You don't need to learn everything at once. Just learn the following phrases. This is what you can learn yourself on the internet.

TA/NA - ता/ना

To play this tabla bol/phrase We should set our ring finger at the edge of the syahi of the right-hand drum. Middle finger high from the syahi. With the Index finger when we hit the kinaar It sounds "Ta or "Na'.

Points to remember:

1. Keep your ring finger at the edge of the syahi.

2. Hit with just the first block of the finger, not with full finger.

3. Don’t Touch middle finger down. Keep it high.

4. Use full hand movement.

TIN - तिन

To play this phrase or bol We should set our ring finger at the edge of the syahi of the right-hand drum. Middle finger high from the syahi. With the Index finger when we hit the Maidan area It sounds "Tin'. The sound depends on the timing. You should hit as quickly as you can. Just touch and go.

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your index finger high after hitting the phrase.

2. Keep ring finger aligned with syahi edge to control the extra resonance.

3. Use a lightweight hit.

TU - तू

We should set our ring finger at the edge of the tabla (approximate idea) of the right-hand drum. Middle finger high from the syahi. With the Index finger when we hit the edge of the syahi It sounds "Tu' (For placement watch the video given below). The sound depends on the timing. You should hit as quickly as you can. Just touch and go.

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your index finger high after hitting the phrase.

2. Keep ring finger at the edge of the tabla as it should not disturb or control the resonance.

3. Use a lightweight hit.

TIT - तिट / तेटे

For Tit we should hit the center of the syahi two times with the middle and index finger respectively. These both hits are block hits, which means no resonance this time. The middle finger should hit first and then index, but in some cases, we have to use reverse Tit. This depends on the requirement of the composition.

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your other finger high while first is hitting the phrase. One finger at a time.

2. Keep ring finger at the edge of the syahi as it will give you proper balance.

3. While practicing use heavy pressure and light when performing.

4. There is one more Tit from Purab ang. They play “Ti” with the middle and ring finger and “t” with the index.

KA - KE - KI / का - के - कि

This is the easiest phrase or tabla bol we have on Bayan (Bass Drum). For this, we should set our wrist at the edge of the syahi. Keep your fingers straight and joined and hit a flat hit on kinaar.

Points to remember:

1. Keep all the fingers joined and straight.

2. It is a block hit.

3. While performing (mostly in Light music) we change the placement pattern sometimes to adjust the tonal effect of the bol.

4. There are no special instructions but as per the requirement of the composition, We should adjust the pressure sometimes.

KAT - कत्त

For Kat We should keep our hand straight and hit a flat block hit on the bayan. It is block hits, which means no resonance this time. It is a single hit bol but in some cases, we have to use double-hit Kat, It totally depends on composition excution.

[NOTE: Right now we are just discussing single hit Kat.]

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your fingers aligned and straight while first is hitting the phrase.

2. Maintain some height from bayan and then play.

3. In some compositions it works like double hit phrase.

4. We can adjust the placement (in light music) to change the tonal effect of the bol.

GHE - घे

Ghe is a bass hit on Bayan. It is a resonating hit. We should place the wrist on the edge of the syahi and maintain our middle and ring fingers curved. Then we have to hit the tip of the fingers on the maidan area quickly (For movement of this tabla bol please watch the video given below). It is a single hit bol but in some cases, we have to use different hand movements like slide, bounce, etc. It totally depends on composition execution.

[NOTE: Right now we are just discussing basic Ghe sound.]

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your middle and ring fingers aligned and curved.

2. Maintain some height from bayan and then play. Height also allows you to build some pressure

3. In some compositions When we play "Ghe Ghe Ghe Ghe" in continuation. We play it as alternate hit middle+ring and then index.

4. We can adjust the tonal effect of the bol by adjusting the hand pressure and movement.

GE / गे

Ge is another bass hit on bayan. It is also a resonating hit. We should place the wrist on the edge of the syahi and maintain our index fingers curved. Then we have to hit the tip of the finger on the maidan area quickly (For movement please watch the video given below). Mostly used in DhaGe, DhaGENa, Gena, etc, combinations.

[NOTE: When we play multiple Ghe sounds we consider this as Ghe as when we need speed. Then Playing with alternate fingers will help us to gain speed easily.]

Points to remember:

1. Maintain your index finger aligned and curved. Hit hard in starting as this finger has less weight than others.

2. Maintain some height from bayan and then play. Height also allows you to build some pressure

3. In some compositions When we play "Ghe Ghe Ghe Ghe" in continuation. We play it as alternate hit middle+ring and then index. Then consider it as Ghe.

4. We can adjust the tonal effect of the bol by adjusting the hand pressure and movement.

DHA - धा

Dha is a combined sound. It is a resonating hit. We have to use two Tabla bols to produce this sound.

Ghe - We should place the wrist on the edge of the syahi and maintain our Ring and Middle fingers curved. Then we have to hit the tip of the finger on the maidan area quickly (For movement please watch the video given below).

Mostly used in DhaGe, DhaGENa, Gena, etc, combinations.

[NOTE: When we play multiple Dha sounds we use alternate fingers on bayan to gain speed easily. But still it is Dha.]

Points to remember:

1. Use alternate hits on bayan when performing multiple Dha sounds.

2. Maintain some height from bayan and then play. Height also allows you to build some pressure

3. We can adjust the tonal effect of the bol by adjusting the hand pressure and movement.

DHIN - धिन

Dhin is a combined sound. It is a resonating hit. We have to use two Tabla pharses to produce this sound.

The second Hit is Tin on the maidan area of tabla with the index finger. It is also a resonating hit. When we perform these two hits at once, It produce Dhin.

Points to remember:

1. Control the extra resonance of Tin with the help of the ring finger.

2. Maintain some height from bayan and then play. Height also allows you to build some pressure

3. We can adjust the tonal effect of the bol by adjusting the hand pressure and movement.

TITKIT - तिटकिट / तिरकिट

This is a combined phrase consisting of four Tabla bols. TI / T / KI / T.

TI - When we hit a block note in the center of the syahi of Tabla with the middle finger, It is 'TI'.

T - After 'TI', we hit another block note in the center of the syahi of Tabla with the index finger, It is T.

KI - Ki we play on bayan. We should rest the wrist on the edge of the syahi. Fingers should be straight and aligned. Then the sound produced with a flat hit is KI. Also known as KA / KE / KI,

T - This last fourth we play in the center of the syahi with ring finger. It is also a block hit.

[NOTE: Purab Baaj Titkit (Type 2) is different than this. They use middle and ring fingers to play the first and last hit - "Ti - - T".

"- T Ki -" same as discussed above]

Points to remember:

1. There is no resonance used in this phrase as all hits are blocked.

2. We mostly use Type 1 Titkit in higher tempos.

3. There are two ways to play titkit. Select the correct as required by the composition.

LEARN TABLA ONLINE - CLICK HERE

Step 3: Try some basic tabla compositions

After, Learning and Practicing basic tabla bols for at least 5-7 days start with basic exercises. In this section you can practice some of the following lessons. We strongly suggest, please don't try everything at once. Learn and practice all the exercises one by one.

Teen Taal: Basic Kayda 1

Teen Taal: Basic Kayda 2

Teen Taal: Basic Kayda 3

Teen Taal: Basic Kayda 4

Teen Taal: Basic Rela

Still, if you have any doubts about Tabla learning or buying a Tabla, feel free to book a FREE consulation with Manjeet Singh at +91-9811450449, Click Here to Chat: Skype, WhatsApp.

Step 4: Boost Your Learning!

If you are still reading this then you have already started your musical journey. Let me add some more value to your learning experience. Learning is an endless process, Ustad Zakir Hussain Ji once said- "Don't try to be a Good Master, Be a good student."

To boost up your Tabla ablities, try practicing some more easy exercises like:

Teentaal, like the Peshkar, Kaida, and Tukras.
Learn new Taal Thekas (Theka is like a Logo of the Taal cycle, You can identify a Taal cycle with the help of Theka associated with it.). (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE PDF OF TAAL THEKAS)

Just practice all of them one by one. Don't rush, it will not work.

Step 5: Try to play with some songs!

I am adding some songs for you, which are easy to play. Just watch and follow the easy step-by-step instructions given in the videos. Learn the songs one by one and practice for at least 4-5 days before moving on.

DADRA TAAL SONGS
ROOPAK TAAL SONGS
KEHRWA TAAL SONGS
JHAP TAAL SONGS
EK TAAL SONGS
TEEEN TAAL SONGS

Or, try your hands with a basic course. There, you can learn Tabla with the help of step-by-step detailed instructions and written notes. This is an easy-to-follow and well-structured course that can help you in learning Tabla Basics.

COURSE-CONTENT-Tabla-Theory-Taal-Thekas-Layakari-Kaydas-Tihai-Tukda

Important! Why do We Need A Live Instructor or Tabla Tutor?

Proper, Well-Maintained & Guided training. (Have a look at our syllabus)
Get Live feedback on your rights or wrongs.
Personalized Practice Plans and Exercises.
To get authentic, & detailed information about composition, practice & tabla theory.
To get your doubts cleared in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions? about Learn Tabla Online

When we can start learning Tabla?

You can start learning Tabla as soon as you make your mind. We are always ready to help you.

How long does it take to learn tabla?

You can learn to play basic taals and compositions in 4-6 months. But to be good with Solo Performance and accompany someone may take up to 3-5 years.

How I will get my Lesson Notes?

You will get ready to print PDFs and support videos for lessons discussed during your session. Other than this you can ask for any help from your instructor at any time. He/She will reply to you within 24 Hours.

How I will connect to my instructor?

We will connect with you via various platforms available - Skype/ Meets/ Duo/ Zoom/ Hangouts/ Fb Messenger, Whatsapp, Etc. Moreover, You can also suggest any new platform of your choice. Definitely, we will add it.

What I will do if having doubts to clear before the session?

We provide very detailed training and you will not need to bother about it. However, You can contact your instructor any time directly. No need to wait for the next session. Our instructors will reply to you within 24 hours. We are available to help students 24X7.

What are the benefits to Learn Tabla Online here?

In addition, You will get multiple benefits from Online Learning:

Ready-To-Print PDFs
Support Videos for Lessons
24X7 Availability
Available Worldwide
English | Hindi | Punjabi

Can I cancel or postpone my session if required?

Yes, You can cancel your session once every month for free.

If you cancel more than once we will mark these sessions as paid. But one session per month you can reschedule every month for free.

Can I opt for Intermediate or Advanced course?

Yes, You can skip the beginner course if you know about Basic Tabla Rhythms or an equivalent training of at least 6 months or more.

What will happen if a student can't complete the course in time?

This has very little possibility but yes if any student needs more time to complete. We will provide some extra sessions but students should pay for those sessions.

Students who paid their yearly fee at once can take a benefit of 2 Free months in this situation.

Can my money be refunded?

Yes, You can ask for a full refund before you started your lessons with us. But, Once you started your sessions you are no more eligible for any refund.